Quack-grass digger.



KUNZE QUACK GRASS masi-3H.

APPLICAHON FILED APH. 1 l, 1918.

1,283,81 l Patented Nov. 5,1918..

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@UACH-GRASS DXGGER.

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Appoation tiled April l1, 1916. erial No. 227,842.

To all w'wm '15 may concern:

Be it known that ll, Annu ll. Kunze, a citizen of the -United `titatee, residingl at lle loit, in the countgsY of Roch: and State ot Wis consin, have invented certain new and usel'ul Iinproven'ients in Quark-Grens Diggers, ot which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to quack' grans. diggers, and has for itel object the provision of al snnple and efficient device of the character mentioned. Other objects will appear hereinafter.

An embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawing', forming n part f this'speciication, and in which-- Figure lis a plan View of the device ern bodying my invention.

llig. 2 is a side elevation of the saine.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. il is a section teken on line t--l of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan ijiew of an arm need in the construction.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, l have shown a frame G subetantielliv triangular in form, but it will be understood that any other desirable shape may be `given to the frame when so desired. yl`he traine t) is preferably mounted on ground wheels, and any number 01"' ground wheels may be used desirable. l iind that three wheels make a very convenient arrangement. ln such a construction l' preferablyv provide a single frontl wheel 7 or the caster wheel type pivoted as at 8 to the front end ofthe traine. Ait the rear of the machine l provide two ground wheels 9 which may be of larger rsize than the front' wheel 7. l mount the Wheels 9 on an axle 10, and in order to have the inner opening of the frame 6 unobetrrctv ed, l preferably oitset the axle 10 upwardly', as clearly indicated in. Figejl and 2. This gives euilicient room under thel axle for swinging the blade trainee described letter. The axle 10 is secured to the trame 6 in a suitable manner such es by members 11 at tached to the edges of the frame 6. and the uprifrht portions of the axle 10 und base mem ers 12 secured to the upper horizontal port-ion of the axle and the top ot the traine 6, as clearly indicated in the drawing. This; 'forms a rigid and strong' connection between the axle and the treme.

Across the front part ot the freine, ne near the liront wheel l as preeticel, l mount. a rod 1,3 which serves as the pintle t'or the blade frames 14. The blade iframesy l-l are preferablylwnt up ardly at their front ends and provided with a plurality ot' openings 15 therein so that the rod 13 may be engaged in the dilterent hole?.4 15 to eet the frames 1l tol operate at ditlerent heighte and eo that the digging elements will operate at diiterent depthe` in the ground. The trainee 1l are each preferably made up having cross bars ll therein. l have Shown these frames as having two ii'iterinediate cross bars and a rear .croes bar 1-1, but it will be understood that as many crores bars may be inserted as desirable. @n each ot' the cross bars l eecure one or more blade-holding Shanks 16. The Shanlie l@ ma;1 be secured to the cross bars 1l in any desirable manner. li have found that a convenient arrangement a castingl 1T which lite around on three sideel oit' a `crossI bar 1l with a bolt 1S passing through the casting and cross bar, as elearl)Y indicated in Fig. Il. The shank 1li is preferably piioted to an ear 19 on the cast-ing 1l' on an-iron bolt or pin 9.0. ln order to prevent the shank 16 troni rotating about the pin 20, l provide an ear Q1 on the casting 1i" and a wooden orc other brealfable pin 22 in the ear and a .suitable portion ot' the,

elianlr 16 so that 'when a sudden eti-ain comesI on the shank such an by engaging a root or large stone, the pin 22 will he broken perniittinpv the shank 16 to swing backwardly and prevent breaking' some other part ot' the device. lllhen a pin 2i has been broken it 'is only necessary to raise the trarne 14e on which the lnolren pin is; mol'uited and swing the shank 16 back to its.l position indicated in lfigr. il and put in a new wooden pin On the bottoni of euch Shank 16 l provide a cutting' blade Qwhich can be secured to the bottom ol the shank 1G in' an;v desirable manner such as by n bolt 2li. The blades Q55 should lie as nearli7 in a horizontal plane as possible, for in this position less :torce is required to propel the device along, and also the ground is distorted less than if the blade Q3 ie set at e steep angle. l find, however, that in order to keep the blade 23 into the ground it is desirable to `Set it at a smell angle, 'which might be euch an angle that the trent end of the blade is about half an inch lower than the rear edge.. However, this 'will Vary accordingr to the hardness ot the ground. @priced troni the rear edge et each binde 223 provide e plnrnlitrI oit holes and edge of the blades between the arms 25 and shank 16 so that the ends of such depending lugs engage the arms and shank holding the blade in proper position, and the arms 25 against rotation. i

The frames 1l are pivoted independently on the rod 13 and each provided with means independent of the other for raising its rear portion in order to raise the device up out of the ground for transportation, or whenever desirable. A suitable means for raising each of the frames 1l is a lever QS mounted on the rear portion of the frame 6 with a quadrant 29 which is engaged by suitable pawl mechanism 30 on the lever to hold the lever against accidental displacement. Extending fronreach lever 2S is a chain 31, or its equivalent, which passes over a pulley 32 on the axle 10 and thence downwardly and attached to a frame 14C as at 33 in'Fig. 1. With this arrangement by moving each lever 28 one of the frames 14 may be raised and lowered as desired.

Any suitable power may be used to propel the device. An ear 34C is provided on the front end of the frame 6 with a plurality of perforations 35 therein to which the power may be attached.

In the operation of the device it is drawn over the ground after the latter has been plowed and the cutting blades Q3 moved along a few inches under the top of the ground. These blades loosen up the grass which has been covered and as the blades pass through the grass, the arms 25 raise this grass to the top of the ground. The grass can then be taken up by a rake, not shown, or other tool..

lVhile I have illustrated and described the preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the precise details set forth', but desire to avail myself of such variations and changes as come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. A quack grass digger comprising a frame; a flat blade carried by said frame in position to lie below the surface of ground to be treated; and a plurality of fingers extending rearwardly from said blade and having 'their rear portions bent upwardly about centers of curvature above said iingers so that said'ingers lie in a surface concave on its upper side and having portions vthereof in lines perpendicular to the direction of movement of said blade all at substantially the`same height, the rear ends of said fingers terminating in transversely alined upwardly projecting prongs.

2. A quack grass' digger comprising al frame arranged to be drawn over infested ground; a shank extending downwardly from said frame to a point below the surface of .the ground; a tri-angularly-shaped flat blade carried by said shank in a substantially horizontal plane below said surface with one aoeX of said blade pointed forwardly; and a plurality of fingers eX- tending rearwardly from the rear edge of said blade and radially relative to the forward point thereof, the portions of said fingers adjacent said blade lying substantially in the plane of said blade while the rear portions thereof are curved upwardly about centers of curvature above said fingers, the

curved portions of said fingers being so related that said fingers are in horizontal alinement with one another along lines transverse to the direction of movement of said blade, and the relative lengths of said fingers being such that the fingers all terminate in upwardly projecting prongs extending slightly above the surface and alined with one another in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of said blade.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification on this 6th day of April A. D. 1918.

ADAM H. KUNZE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patenti, Washington, D. C. 

